Singapore - Health officials from the Asia-Pacific region have finalized a plan to combat dengue following a five-day meeting in Singapore. National plans will be guided by 38 specific recommended activities under the regional initiative, participants said. These range from an effective surveillance system to community-centric actions for dengue control.
Key programme areas including surveillance, integrated vector management, case management, social mobilization and communication, outbreak response and research were included by the 75 World Health Organization (WHO) observers.
The regional plan, which was wrapped up on Friday, will be submitted to a meeting of health ministers in September.
WHO figures show some 2.5 billion people are at risk of dengue globally. More than 70 per cent live in the Asia-Pacific region.
